History of Restaurants Timeline

According to legend, the first mention of a restaurant dates back to 1765. The first restaurant of the modern kind was opened in 1765 or 1766 by Mathurin Roze de Chantoiseau on rue des Poulies, now part of the Rue de Louvre, serving restorative foods from a fixed menu.

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The first luxury restaurant in Paris, La Grande Taverne de Londres, was opened at the Palais-Royal at the beginning of 1786 by Antoine Beauvilliers, the former chef of the Count of Provence. According to the Larousse Gastronomique, an earlier version opening in 1782 is considered the first Parisian restaurant.

Image source: Antoine Beauvilliers

In June 1786, the Provost of Paris issued a decree giving the new kind of eating establishment official status, authorizing restaurateurs to receive clients and offer them meals until eleven in the evening in winter and midnight in summer.

One restaurant was started in 1791 by Méot, the former chef of the Duke of Orleans, which offered a wine list with twenty-two choices of red wine and twenty-seven of white wine.

Image source: Palais-Royal

By the end of the century there were a collection of luxury restaurants at the Grand-Palais: Huré, the Couvert espagnol; Février; the Grotte flamande; Véry, Masse and the Café de Chartres (still open today as Le Grand Véfour).

Image source: Le Grand Véfour

In the United States, it was not until the late 18th century that establishments providing meals without lodging began to appear in major metropolitan areas in the form of coffee and oyster houses. The actual term 'restaurant' did not enter common parlance until the following century.

Image source: Oyster bar

Restaurants were typically located in populous urban areas during the 19th century and grew both in number and sophistication in the mid-century due to a more affluent middle class and to urbanization.

Dining in restaurants has become increasingly popular, with the proportion of meals consumed outside the home in restaurants or institutions rising from 25% in 1950 to 46% in 1990.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation based on race, color, religion, or national origin in all public accommodations engaged in interstate commerce, including restaurants. In Katzenbach v. McClung (379 U.S. 294), the Supreme Court upheld Congress's power under the Commerce Clause to forbid racial discrimination in restaurants.

According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, the number of restaurants increased rapidly from about 20,000 nationwide in 2000 to over 400,000 by 2022. Revenue reached VND610 trillion in 2022, up 16% from 2021, with the out-of-home market accounting for VND333.69 trillion.

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In 2005, Michelin released a New York City guide, its first for the United States, bringing the prestigious star rating system to American diners and chefs.

Image source: Michelin Guide

As of 2006, there were approximately 215,000 full-service restaurants in the United States, accounting for $298 billion in sales, and approximately 250,000 limited-service (fast food) restaurants, accounting for $260 billion.

Starting in 2016, Americans spent more on restaurants than groceries. In 2016 there were 1,000,000 restaurants in the US, one for every 310 people, and a Gallup Poll found nearly 61% of Americans eat out once a week or more.

In October 2017, The New York Times reported there are 620,000 eating and drinking places in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics. Earlier data showed restaurants employed 912,100 cooks in 2013 and 4,438,100 waiting staff in 2012.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, The National Restaurant Association estimated restaurant sales of $899 billion in 2020. The industry had been an anomaly during the 2008 recession, continuing to grow even as other sectors struggled.

Image source: National Restaurant Association

In the early 19th century, traiteurs and restaurateurs became known simply as 'restaurateurs'. The use of the term 'restaurant' for the establishment itself only became common in the 19th century.

In 1802 the term 'restaurant' was applied to an establishment where restorative foods, such as bouillon, a meat broth, were served ('établissement de restaurateur').

Image source: Broth

The first restaurant guide, called Almanach des Gourmands, written by Grimod de La Reyniére, was published in 1804, helping diners navigate the growing Parisian dining scene.

Image source: Grimod de La Reynière

The 19th century also saw the appearance of new kinds of more modest restaurants, including the bistrot, offering simple, affordable meals to everyday Parisians.

Image source: Bistro

The brasserie, featuring beer alongside hearty fare, was made popular during the 1867 Paris Exposition, adding a new kind of dining venue to French urban life.

Image source: Brasserie

The restaurant of Hotel Ritz Paris, opened in 1898, was made famous by its chef, Auguste Escoffier, whose refined cuisine helped define haute cuisine for a generation.

Image source: Hôtel Ritz Paris